By Observer Media Ltd
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF) says the Monday night attack on the AMISOM Janaale military base in Somalia which claimed 12 of its soldiers is a 'game changer' and the al-Shabaab militants should expect a response soon.
Although western media quote witnesses as saying the number of fatalities was more than 50 soldiers, Col Paddy Ankunda, the Defense spokesperson says AMISOM had done a head count and all soldiers were all accounted for.
In fact, he said the 10 bodies of the fallen soldiers will be flown to Entebbe Airport this afternoon and the remaining two will be flown later.
Ankunda in tweet messages on @defenseuganda said "We will not relent in our efforts to help in the pacification of Somalia despite the attack." adding, "This attack is a game changer, al shabab can only expect an appropriate response from UPDF."
Today's, was the first official response from Ugandan authorities since the attack on Monday. It was confirmed that Janaale military camp located the Lower Shabelle region was manned by Ugandan troops with about 110 UPDF soldiers at the time of the attack.
al-Shabaab militants claimed on Tuesday that they had killed 70 soldiers, 50 of them by gunfire while 20 drowned in a river while trying to flee. Hashim Arale, the journalist through whom the al-Shabaab statement was released says the militants will release footage and videos showing the soldiers killed in the attack.
al-Shabaab has claimed the attack was revenge for the killing of seven civilians by Ugandan troops at a wedding in the town of Merka in July. Ugandan army troops allegedly killed six men at a wedding on July 31, 2015, in the Somali port town of Merka. The soldiers reportedly separated the men from the women and shot the six adult men – four brothers, their father, and an uncle.
Three AMISOM personnel have since been indicted for the wedding killings and are awaiting to be arraigned before a military judicial process. A board of inquiry composed of military, civilian and police officers without representation from the Ugandan contingent was also instituted to begin the trial.
Monday's attack brings into question whether al-Shabaab spirit that had been previously regarded as fizzling out is enjoying a resurgence or it is AMISOM that is struggling to adapt to the military demands. Moreover the AMISOM camp has also been littered with allegations of grand scale corruption with Ugandan soldiers alleged to be selling their own weaponry to their enemy.